The presently disclosed invention relates generally to equipment used for playing baseball and softball (collectively referred to hereinafter as “baseball”) and more particularly to a glove which may be utilized by new players to the game to facilitate the catching of a ball within the glove. The present invention may be particularly helpful to young persons and persons with limited hand strength.
A new player can be easily frustrated in trying to learn how to catch a ball by the difficulty presented in trying to catch a ball with a glove which is stiff and difficult to close with a small hand, or a hand with limited strength. Moreover, a ball coming in with significant velocity can present a risk to the player and others if the player is unable to adequately secure the ball within the glove or use correct techniques in guiding the ball into the glove.
The basic components of a baseball glove are the heel, the finger stalls (or fingers), the hinge, the pocket, the webbing, and the back. The hinge is where the finger stalls meet the palm of the glove. The webbing connects the thumb stall to an adjacent finger stall. The webbing helps snag and hold onto the ball. The pocket of the glove is the indentation in the palm where the ball should drop after it has been caught. The back of the glove includes the wrist closure, which may be either open back or closed back.
As known by those who have experience in playing baseball, new baseball gloves present a particular challenge, even to experienced players. A new glove is typically stiff and requires significant breaking in or conditioning so that the glove will close easily along a flex line in the glove which begins at the bottom of the glove and generally extends diagonally across the pocket of the glove toward the web at the top of the glove. There are two parts of a glove which are hardest to flex initially—at the hinge and the web at the top of the pocket. A number of methods of breaking in a glove have been practiced. Glove manufacturers offer a variety of different oils or creams to soften the leather. Among other practices, people have attempted to break in new gloves by pounding the glove with a mallet, running over the glove with a car, storing the glove under a mattress or even heating it in the oven. The goal is to make the hinge and the web soft and pliable. However, nothing breaks in a glove faster than using it, which presents a dilemma for young and new players who don't have the hand strength and acquired technique to use a new glove.